Rescuers are searching for survivors after a massive Israeli airstrike in a Beirut suburb. Several buildings were destroyed in the densely populated suburb of Haret Hreik, the state news agency NNA reported. As a result, there could be dozens or even hundreds of deaths, it was said. The Haaretz newspaper, citing Israeli government officials, reported that an estimated 300 people were killed.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health initially spoke of six dead and 91 injured. However, these numbers could rise because many victims are still likely to be under rubble. Large piles of rubble could be seen in videos from the scene of the attack. The ministry said rubble was being cleared away.
Israel continued its airstrikes near the Lebanese capital on Saturday night. The air force is currently carrying out attacks on strategic Hezbollah militia facilities in the Beirut area, the Israeli army said. These included weapons production facilities, buildings in which modern weapons were stored and command centers of the pro-Iranian militia, it said. The Lebanese state news agency NNA reported at least eleven attacks in suburbs south of the capital and in several places in southern Lebanon, including near Tyre.
The militia rejected the Israeli army’s claim that it was attacking Hezbollah weapons depots. The Shiite militia said there were no weapons or depots in the buildings attacked. Local television stations showed nighttime explosions south of Beirut near the international airport. Fires and subsequent explosions could be seen in the images. There was initially no information about victims that night.
There is still uncertainty about the health of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. According to a person familiar with the matter, he has no longer been available since the Israeli attack in southern Beirut. Hours after the attack, Hezbollah has yet to comment on Nasrallah. A person close to Hezbollah told Reuters that Nasrallah was alive, and Iran’s Tasnim news agency also reported that he was safe. Iranian government circles said Tehran was reviewing its status.
According to its own statement, Israel’s military attacked Hezbollah’s headquarters, which was said to have been located under residential buildings. Security and Middle East expert Michael Horowitz wrote on Platform X that cracks in the ground indicated that an underground structure had been attacked. According to military experts, Israel used 900-kilogram bombs in the Gaza war that are known as “bunker busters” and can cause entire residential complexes to collapse.
Meanwhile, there was renewed shelling of Israel from Lebanon. The Israeli army reported around 90 projectiles fired from the neighboring country. According to the Magen David Adom rescue service, a woman was slightly injured in an explosion. The army reported that a house and a car were hit by rockets in the city of Safed.
According to the Israeli police, there was major damage to property in the town in northern Israel. The Shiite Hezbollah militia claimed responsibility for the attack on Safed.
Meanwhile, Russia harshly criticized Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah. “We strongly condemn the actions of the Israeli side, as they blatantly violate the sovereignty of our friendly country Lebanon,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a meeting of the UN Security Council. The escalating violence must be stopped immediately before the situation gets completely out of control.
2024-09-28 00:40:46